Hello there! It's been a while hasn't it? Far too long I say, but I'm back now and as The Inky Kitchen has had a bit of a facelift I thought it was only right to celebrate with some delicious cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes either, cupcakes that celebrate two of my favourite things - rhubard and custard sweets and Victorian cameo jewellery.
If you're British and born pre-1990 then you will surely remember those little magenta and buttercup coloured boiled sweets, both tart and creamy at the same time , glistening in big plastic jars on corner shop shelves. Their flavour is such a strong childhood memory to myself and so many others, just like the cupcake, so what better than combining the two into one special teatime treat.
Obviously the white chocolate cameos are not mandatory, I was just itching to use my new mould, but if you would like to you can buy the mould here. I bought the little sugar pearls from this online shop where I buy a lot of my baking supplies including edible glitter, cupcake cases and cookie cutters.
I would love to know what you think of the new layout too, do let me know!
Rhubard and Custard Cupcakes
Makes 16-20 depending on case size
Recipe adapted from Cupcakes by Martha Stewart
Rhubard Cupcake Ingredients
125g unsalted butter, softened
200g caster sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
115g sour cream, room temperature
2 stalks of rhubarb, trimmed and cut into small chunks
Custard Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
120ml milk
75g (one sachet) Bird's custard powder
125g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
500g icing sugar
a few drops of pink food colouring, if using
White Chocolate Cameos
100g white chocolate, finely chopped
plastic cameo mould as shown above
Cupcakes Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and then add the vanilla extract. Add half the flour, baking powder and soda and pinch of salt and mix well, then add the sour cream. Now add the second half of the flour and mix until just combined, before gently stirring in the diced rhubarb.
Divide between the cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops spring back when touched and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Cameo Method
Melt half of the chopped chocolate in the microwave or over a water bath, then remove from the heat and beat in the rest of the chopped chocolate. This is a very easy way of 'tempering' the chocolate so that it has a nice shiny finish when set again.
Carefully spoon the chocolate into the voids in the mould and then tap several times on your worktop to remove any trapped air bubbles. Refrigerate until needed.
Buttercream Method
Heat four tablespoons of the milk until just boiling, and then whisk in the custard powder, set aside to cool a little. Beat the butter and vanilla extract and then add the cooled custard paste along with the rest of the cold milk and the food colouring if using. Beat until well combined and then start adding the icing sugar. You may not need it all, just keep adding and mixing until you get the desired consistency.
Spread or pipe over the frosting and then add your decorations.
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